1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to paint applicator cleaning devices, and in particular, to those devices that are used to clean various types of paints from conventional paint roller covers.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Conventional paint rollers are used extensively by painters to apply latex and oil-based paints to a variety of surfaces both interior and exterior. As the paint is absorbed deeply into the sub-layers, cleaning the roller cover is difficult. Traditional methods of paint roller cover cleaning involve either immersing the roller cover several times into a container of appropriate cleaning solution or utilizing a stream of the solution to cleanse the roller cover. If the paint being utilized is a water-based latex, the cover can be soaked in water and then rinsed off under a water faucet or garden house. If an oil-based paint is used, the cover can be soaked and rinsed in paint thinner, turpentine, acetone or other similar solution. With these methods, not only is it difficult to remove the paint from the cover, but removal is messy, time consuming and inefficient. Consequently, the used paint roller is discarded and a new cover is used for the next application.
Recently, two types of cleaning devices have been utilized in the art to clean conventional paint roller covers. The first type of device employs an annular ring or close fitting cylindrical sheath to direct a flow of water uniformly down the length of the roller cover, diluting the paint residue adhering to the roller cover and allowing the paint to flow--aided by gravity--off the opposite end of the roller. However, this method is still messy, time consuming and inefficient. This type of device often leaves a substantial amount of paint residue near the sub-layers of the roller cover and also requires the user's assistance in moving the roller cover through the annular ring or close fitting cylindrical sheath.
The second type of paint roller cover cleaning device utilizes a jet or spray of water directed against the surface of the roller cover causing the cover to rotate on its longitudinal axis and throw the paint off. In some of these devices, the jet or spray is directed through a single spray bar oriented along the longitudinal axis of the device. Any additional jet or spray of water only provides a cleansing stream and does not operate to rotate the roller cover. Variations of this second type of cleaning device come with the requirement of removing the roller cover from the roller handle and mounting the cover on a spindle located inside the cleaning device.
These types of devices are more efficient than both the traditional cleaning methods and the above-mentioned first type of cleaning device. However, these devices are inefficient in that not all the cleansing water is utilized to rotate the roller cover, thereby limiting the available centrifugal force that causes the paint residue to be eliminated from the roller cover. This deficiency leaves the roller cover saturated with paint residue and cleaning solution. Furthermore, the devices that require roller cover removal are still messy and time consuming.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a paint roller cover cleaning device that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, minimizes the mess associated with the cleaning process, maximizes the centrifugal force created by the cleaning water application, and does not require the removal of the roller cover from the paint roller handle.